AKA Vietnamese coriander, chadon beni (shado beni), Sawtooth herb, shadow beni, Mexican coriander, and long coriander. It is widely used as a seasoning in Thailand, India, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. The thick Ngo Gai leaves are perfect for drying at home as they retain their color and flavor very well Culantro is a member Apiaceae family, which includes carrots, celery, parsley, and parsnip. Culantro is used as both a culinary and medicinal herb Culantro is easy to grow but needs attention and patience to be successful with. The three critical conditions are warm soil – 80-85°F, seeds on the surface of the soil – never covered, and a consistently moist soil. If you meet all three conditions, your seeds should start sprouting in 2-4 weeks. STARTING: Start seeds indoor 8 weeks before the last frost date. Do not cover seeds with soil. Sprinkle seeds on surface of pre-moistened, sterilized seed starting mix. Bottom heat and plastic cover speed up germination. Check soil moisture regularly and water when the top inch becomes dry. GROWING: Plant outdoor in Partial Shade area – leaves will grow larger and more tender. Rich, Moist, well-drained soil (PH 6 -7.5) in warm location is best Optimal Temp.: 26 °C | Germination: 2-4 weeks | Plant Spacing : 8-12 in | Seed life: 2 years CULANTRO VS CILANTRO Culantro is a botanical cousin of cilantro, but they look nothing alike. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is sometimes called Chinese parsley or Mexican parsley, and its seeds (coriander) are sometimes called Mexican coriander. While culantro has long leaves that grow in rosettes, cilantro has thin scallop-shaped leaves that grow on the tips of long, very thin stems. Additionally, cilantro is an annual plant, not a biennial like culantro. Though the flavor and aroma of the two herbs are comparable, you’ll notice that culantro is significantly more pungent than cilantro. Some people say it’s even 10 times stronger, which is apparent in how the two are used in food recipes. While culantro can handle the high heat of cooking, cilantro is a very delicate herb, which is why it’s often applied to food after cooking. WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? Culantro has a pungent odor and bitter, soapy flavor similar to cilantro, but stronger. Many references say the odor is like crushed stinkbugs (skunky or burnt rubber) or crushed bedbugs (sweet, musty, and cilantro-like). With a description like that, it is apparent that this is a flavor that some love and some hate. A pungent element that would be distasteful on its own can add an extra dimension to the flavor of dishes. COOKING WITH CULANTRO The leaves are the desired part of the culantro plant for cooking. Culantro makes an excellent addition to a variety of recipes. You can cook it into almost any dish that you would otherwise finish with cilantro, though using less culantro than cilantro is recommended when substituting. It’s interesting to note that in some recipes for Vietnamese beef noodle soup (pho), the roles of cilantro and culantro are reversed, with cilantro cooked while culantro (ngo gai in Vietnamese) is reserved for the garnish.